


Shooting Stars (Planet Tierre Sequel)

by clexa9999



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, alien - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-28 06:24:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14443281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clexa9999/pseuds/clexa9999
Summary: "Maybe she was meant to come and go into my life. Something beautiful; something rare and precious. Like a shooting star."A few years had passed, but a broken soul remains hopeful for the return of her young love; true love. But can it really happen? They're light years apart. Technology couldn't quite bridge the gap between them. And most of all, she had hurt her.She had hurt the one she loves the most.Is there still chance for true love? Or will it be sucked inside a deep, dark blackhole, disappearing into the abyss?





	1. Chapter 1

A young woman in her mid twenties entered her *car* hurriedly. She knew she had to hurry back home to confirm what she had just discovered.

Her heart thrummed with both excitement and nervousness.

Can she finally reunite with her? She worked for seven years. And for seven years she searched.

She searched for that one person, but to no avail.

Until now.

She ran pass her front door, not bothering to close it anymore. She sprinted to the hidden stairs behind a faux refrigerator door. This staircase will lead to the basement where she had all of her 'work'.

Panting, she threw all things that was on her table and laid a single sheet of paper on it. This paper contained the most recent satellite image of the galaxy 08729. Her heart skipped a beat when she read what was written in the description.

_Galaxy 087229, discovered yesterday, 14 March 2026 by the African Druid 4 rover. The fourth galaxy from Earth and approximately 105 light years away. Inset: Planet 5780QZ; the largest planet on Galaxy 087229._

A tear escaped from her eyes. She can't be wrong. On this planet lives the one who stole her heart. The one who she hurt the most.

_It's been so long, Aimee... Come back to me._

_\-----------------------------------------_

_We were in bed, naked, with the lights turned off and the lamp on. It gave the room a nice, romantic glow. I was in her arms, resting my head on her chest, running my fingers through her soft skin and listening to the acoustics of her heart. Her heartbeat is enchanting. Like some pleasant music that calms my troubled soul. Very troubled soul._

_"Aimee?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Would you promise me one thing?"_

_"Sure. What is it?"_

_"Never, ever leave my side." After a moment, I added "Even if I tell you to."_

_She chuckled. "That's going to be hard."_

_"Promise me!" I whined._

_"Okay, okay!" Then, she pulled me closer to her; if that's even possible. "Promise me one thing too."_

_Hmmmm... "What?"_

_"Promise me that you'll never forget me. And that I'll always have a special place in your heart."_

_I hastily lifted my head and looked at her. "Why are you saying that?"_

_She didn't meet my probing gaze and just closed her eyes._

_"You better answer me Aimee or I swear to god I will hit you."_

_She cracked a smile. "Go ahead. You hit like a girl anyways." I was about to argue when she continued, "I mean a wimpy girl."_

_I frowned. "I'll throw all the bacon in the garbage."_

_"We'll you see..." She started while I let out a little victorious grin. "What if we, by any chance, get separated from each other? I want you to keep your promise."_

_My smile fell and was replaced by a frown. I slapped her forearm._

_"Ouch!" She rubbed the sore spot. "That hurt."_

_"How about we make a deal? I'll keep my promise if you keep yours."_

_"Deal."_

_Then, she sealed it with a kiss._

 

Only then did she finally hear her phone ringing. Wiping her tears away and clearing her throat, she answered the phone with her most normal voice.

"This is Luna Simons speaking," she barely let out.

"Dr. Simons, I'm callling to check if you're okay. You seemed upset when you left earlier."

She recognized the voice of her mentor and senior Physicist Dr. Phillip Youngbuster.

"I'm fine, Dr. Young," she smiled weakly. He was always such a worrywart. "I was just feeling a bit under the weather so I had to leave for home."

"Are you sure this had nothing to do with what WE had discovered yesterday?"

She swallowed a lump that had just formed in her throat. "Y-yeah. It's just coincidence."

He sighed. "I remember the very first day of your internship," he recalled, "You were shy and timid but I could sense the determination in your eyes. And when all you and the other trainees started to work, I saw the fierceness."

She softly chuckled, "You senile old man. How many times have you told me that story?"

"I know. But you just make me proud. You have worked so hard; harder than anyone I ever known. It made me wonder what pushed you; what motivated you to work as hard as you did," he said, "And when we both saw Galaxy  _087229,_  I knew it had something to do with our newest discovery."

She sighed. "Dr. Young..."

"Luna," he interrupted, "Whatever you're experiencing, know that you can always ask for my help. Me, and the other hundred scientists that had grown to love you in the short period of time that you've been with us."

She couldn't help but tear up. "Dr. Young, you're making me cry."

He laughed softly. "Now, don't bawl on me now child. I just wanted to assure you that you can count on us. On our team."

"Yes. Thank you doctor. And I promise, I'll call you when I need your help." She bid him farewell and ended the call.

_I promise..._

Her eyes caught glimpse of a certain old paper that was pinned on her corkboard*. Her heart clenched in the now familiar pain as she, for the thousand time, read the message on the paper...

\-----------------------------------------------------

_Dear Luna,_

_What's meant to be will always find a way. I deeply believe that._

_I love you. And this will hurt us both, but it is the right thing to do. This had always been the right thing to do right from the start._

_I decided to write this letter because even though it deeply pains me, I must let you go. Even though you now smile and tell me you're okay, inside, you're crying and pleading. You secretly want to go home, even though you said yes to me._

_And I am guilty. Guilty that I separated from your loved ones. I love your parents like my own and although it hurts me, you're happy with Shannon. I just can't compete with someone whom your heart beats for._

_Remember that night when we were arguing about the movie we saw? When the male lead left because he was letting his love go?_

_Now I know why. I truly know why._

_True love is about letting go, even if your heart wants to hold on.*_

_Just know that your presence simply feels like the first day of spring on Earth and you make me feel overjoyed and strangely content._

_I thought of this decision for a while and as I write this letter, my heart weeps in excruciating pain. It makes me want to die already._

_Still, I hope you will remember me. I hope I'll still be in your deepest memories, for you will be in mine. I will treasure each second that I spent with you. I will remember you. Forever._

_'Til we see each other again._

_Love,_  
_Aimee_

_\------------------------------------------------------------------_

_When will I see you again, Aimee?_

The stress of the past few years finally caught up with her. She wearily marched towards her bedroom and fell right on her bed; falling asleep as her head hit the pillows.

She must have slept longer than she initially planned, for when she awoke, she heard her stomach rumbling, demanding for something to be churned. Her back was also sore for she awoke in the same position she slept in. What kind of irritated her was the incessant ringing of the doorbell. It was annoying, really.

She arose from her bed and went out of her bedroom to get the door.  _Someone's a little impatient_ , she noticed. Finally, she opened the door and found no one standing there.

_Oh those pesky neighborhood kids!_

The family that lived nextdoors had two children who Luna didn't like at all. They were noisy, rude, and most of all? Naughty.

She was about to close the door when she heard someone clear their throat. The sound came from

"Hi, I'm Lania," a small, smiling girl with haunting emerald green eyes said.

"And I am your daughter."

And that was the last thing she remembered before fainting.


	2. Meeting Lania

Luna woke up feeling dizzy. The young aeronautical engineer groaned, remembering a very weird about a kid with familiar green eyes. All her thoughts the past few days had caught up with her and made her hallucinate.  _Great_. Luna said to herself.  _I need to see a shrink now._  The frustrated one groaned some more and sat up. She didn't even remember falling asleep on the couch.  _And damn!_  She thought,  _I have a very uncomfortable couch._

"Oh good. You're awake!"

Luna's gaze fell on a little person, a kid, seated adorably across her. She almost had a heart attack. Because the small child seated across her looked exactly like her. The resemblance is uncanny. The hair color, the facial and bone structure, the small nose, everything! Well, almost everything. The child had that fascinating emerald eyes. -Familiar emerald eyes. Those eyes that reminded Luna of someone.

"Hi mom," The kid grinned, showing that she was missing one front teeth, "I lost my tooth. It didn't hurt one bit!" She proudly said.

Luna was still shaken up, her mind can't seem to wrap around the current situation. She finally found her love's home planet after several years but going there seemed impossible, and now some child showed up, looking just like her, and is calling her 'Mom'.

"Wha-... Who are you exactly?" Luna asked. She had to be sure.

The little girl smiled, "I am Lania Amerίe Vernoia and I am half human, half Tierran. I am 6 human years old but I am 6 months old in Tierran years. My parents are Luna Hayley Simons and Aimèe Vernoia."

And that confirms Luna's theory. Not that she had doubts in the first place. The kid looks exactly like her, for god's sake!

"Okay, wow," Luna took in a deep breath and stood up, walking towards her little girl and kneeling before her, "Can I... Can I hold you?" she asks.

The small child nodded, opening her arms. With trembling hands, Luna reached forward and wrapped her arms around her child's body. Tears sprung in her eyes as Luna finally held the child she thought she never had.

"Oh baby... You are perfect," Luna pulled away and looked at her child once more and found that Lania was crying too, little droplets of tears running down her pink cheeks. It broke her heart and she swore she would do anything to see her child's bright smile again.

"Mommy..." the little girl sniffed, "It hurt. When my tooth fell off, it hurt," and then the small girl cried again. Luna's heart melted.

"Shhh...," she soothingly rubbed Lania's back to calm her, "It's okay. Mommy's here. I know exactly what to do to make the pain go away."

Then she stood up and led Lania to the kitchen where she carried her and sat her on the kitchend island. She doesn't have the appropriate children's chair for Lania. Hell, all she had was one high chair. Living the single life.

"Wait here baby. Don't move," then she walked towards her fridge, opening it to get an ice pop. Grape flavor. She unwrapped it and gave it to Lania who stared at it for quite a while.

"Go on," she urged her child

Lania shrugged and bit into the ice pop making Luna cringe. Luna watched, with sheer fascination, as Lania actually chewed the ice pop. Well, that just meant that her child doesn't have tooth sensitivity. Lania must've had good oral hygiene and genetics.  _Well, damn right she has good genetics. Her parents are Aimee and I,_ Luna thought.

Aimee.

"So," Luna cleared her throat, "Where is your other mother?"

Lania peered at me from her long lashes.

 

"Mother doesn't know I am here," the child replied, enjoying her ice pop once again.

Luna's jaws dropped. So, the love of her life doesn't know that her daughter, THEIR daughter was with her?

"Why did you run away then?"  _And Jesus! She's just six! A baby!_ "We're you alone?"

"Ahuh," Lania said, "Although Eve was guiding me."

Luna's eyes widened.  _Eve? Her Eve? The Eve on her basement?_

"How do you know Eve?" Luna asked.

"I found her on our database. She was listed under ProtoBots under maintenance but she was still active. I tracked her down after I hacked into the system and that's how I got your coordinates."

And her daughter was what? Six years old. But then again, she had a Queen and an Aerospace engineer as her parents.

"Is your mother gonna find you here?" Luna asked her.

Little Lania shrugged again.  _It looks so cute._ Luna thinks.

"I doubt it. I don't know if she even knows I'm missing."

At that, Luna knotted her eyebrows. What have Aimee done to their daughter?

"Why? What's wrong, bijou?" Luna got a paper towel and wiped her daughter's chin.

"Mother... I don't really see her much. She doesn't want to see me. But she lets Bonjίta Fructùosè check up on me regularly."

_Aimee... What the hell have you been doing with our daughter?_

Luna noticed that Lania have been eyeing the apple. "Are you hungry?"

Lania nodded.

If Lania is really her mothers' daughter, she must have a voracious appetite. Luna smiled and proceeded to make something for her daughter.

"Do you know bacon?"

The tiny girl shook her head.

Luna grinned, "You have to try it."

And, as Luna prepared her daughter's food, she can't help but notice some of her mannerisms. The way her little eyebrow raised when she examined the room, the way those lips curve into a half-smile/ smirk... It can't be denied. Those are Aimee's traits.

"Mom?" Lania asked.

"Yes sweetie?"

"Do you love Mother?"

Luna stopped what she was doing for a second to answer her daughter's question.

"Yes, I do. I do love your Mother," she answered honestly.

"Why aren't you together then?"

Luna let the bacon cook in her pan for a while. What the hell is she supposed to say to her daughter?

"Your Mother and I...are not on the best terms right now."  _She even hid you away from me._  "What did your Mother say about me?"

"She said I don't have another mother," Lania innocently said.

_Why that-..._

"I didn't believe her. I always knew I had another mother. I didn't look like anyone on my planet. Based on our genetics, a Tierran will always end up looking just like either one of her parents."

Aimee and her mother Nadia. They looked exactly the same. But Lania, she may look like Luna, but she has Aimee's emerald eyes. Is this because she's half human? But Aimee is half human too.

"Mom? If you don't turn that bacon over I believe it's gonna burn."

Luna immediately turned her attention back to what she was cooking. Good thing she saved the bacon.

Bacon is life.

Luna heated up some frozen mac n' cheese and one slice of pizza. For a small girl, that should be enough.

_Wait, aren't I supposed to feed her nutritious food?_

Luna eyed the apple. She got it and washed it before she started to cut it up.

_There, all nutritious._

"There you go baby," Luna got all the food together and now realized that maybe it was a little bit too much for a child.

"Wow," Lania grinned, showing her adorable teeth that is missing one, "Thank you mom." Then she kissed her mother's cheek.

"You're welcome baby."

Luna watched her daughter eat. It was so... Weird that she became an instant mother. And to think yesterday, she was a single young woman with little to no hope of finding her true love.

_And now, this..._

_I have a daughter._   
  
  


_My mother is going to be hella surprised._


	3. Friend In Need

Luna carefully put her daughter on her bed, her little princess fell asleep on the couch after devouring everything that her mother put on her plate. And guess what her daughter's favorite food is?

Bacon.

She smiled, running her hand over her daughter's hair. Her daughter. She helped make this little angel come to be. She actually made something so innocent, pure and precious. Think again if you think that she's ever gonna screw this up.

After watching her daughter sleep for some time, she noticed that Lania was frowning and moving a little too much. So, she rubbed her stomach to calm her child. Like she did to Aimee everytime she was about to fall asleep.

It really is a wonder how much alike Lania and Aimee is.

But still, it bothered her why Lania's relationship with Aimee seems a bit strained. She had always imagined Aimee to be a caring mother.

_Aimee, what have you done to our daughter?_

Luna sighed and headed downstairs. Although she was physically tired, her mind is going hundred miles per hour. She just can't believe that a week ago, she was single. And now, Lania is with her.

 _Lania_...

Who ran away from their planet. Someone is bound to come and fetch her, seeing that she is technically their princess. But she is the girl's mother. She has the right to her daughter. She will personally come to Tierre and kick Aimee's butt across the universe is she ever attempt to take their daughter away from her.

She sighed, entering her personal laboratory and turning the lights on. The room was illuminated in an instant. Luna lived in her laboratory. Obsessed with finding Aimee's whereabouts, she spent all her free time down here, doing all her independent research work and working out papers for her PhD. She is working while taking up her Doctorates Degree in Aerospace Engineering under an academic scholarship. She isn't technically entitled to be called a 'Doctor' yet, but she might as well be. Working in NASA is like a dream come true. There, you rub elbows with the real geniuses; people who actually matter. Working on various projects made her feel alive, although her heart had been dead for years. She specializes in working with spacecrafts and is considering adding another degree in Space Sciences.

_Oh shit. I have work tomorrow. Well, I have to actually file for a leave, now that Lania is here. I just have to find someone who can watch her for half a day._

She have to find a babysitter at 2:08 am. And she knows just who she can call.

Getting her phone from her pocket, she hesitated on punching the numbers in. Friend or not, it was still 2 am. Finally, with a sharp intake of air, she pressed the number 2 and dialed. Luna patiently listened as her friend's phone rang.

"Hello?" A husky voice sounded from the other line, "Luna, are you alright?"

She sighed, thank god she actually had her phone with her.1

"Yes, and I am in trouble," Luna paced across the room, "I'm very sorry to have woken you up in the middle of the night, but I really need your help."

She heard shuffling from the other line, then the person replied, "I'll be over in a few minutes," then the line went dead.

Luna smiled, knowing that she can always count on her.

After a few minutes, her front door opened and in walked Shannon. Yes, Shannon her ex. When she returned from Tierre, she was devastated. She was depressed for a week and almost failed to take her final exams, but Shannon helped her through it all. She realized what she felt for Shannon was not love. Shannon was just the representation of her dream love, and the reason she had a hard time letting her go is because she wanted to hold on to her childhood dream love as long as she could. She confided everything in Shannon, and told her that she can't offer more than friendship.

Shannon, being the kind-hearted person that she is, took everything in stride and took care of her in her darkest moments. What she found in Shannon after her ordeal was precious. True friendship.

"Okay, tell me everything," Shannon said and sat down beside Luna.

Luna handed her a warm mug of coffee and took deep breaths, "Okay, this may sound surprising, but I hope you don't freak out."

Shannon took a sip of her coffee, hoping to warm her hands up. Luna didn't normally call her in the middle of the night unless she was desperate for a booty call.

Okay, totally pulling on your leg there. But Luna didn't usually call her, nonetheless.

"I have a daughter."

Shannon spit her coffee all over the coffee table and turned towards Luna. abruptly

"What the fuck Luna? This better not be prank or I will kick your ass!"

Luna ran her hands over her hair, frustrated, "It's true! I am not even kidding."

"But I just saw you three days ago. How can you conceive, bear a child, and deliver in that limited amount of time?"

Luna stood up, "Follow me, but be quiet," then they slowly tiptoed upstairs to Luna's room.

The light was turned off and only the nightlight was on. Shannon's eyes widened when she indeed saw a small lump on the bed. When they went closer, she saw a child partially covered with her own blonde locks.

"Whoah, whose kid is that?"

Luna brushed Lania's hair away from her face and Shannon's jaw dropped, "Wha-... How?"

Luna leaned in and kissed Lania's forehead and made sure that she's comfy, before signaling Shannon that they should talk downstairs. Shannon was still mesmerized. The little girl... It can't be denied. She is Luna's. The resemblance is... Haunting.

They were back on Luna's couch, sipping their now lukewarm coffee.

"Luna, you better explain everything to me."

"So, like I said, I have a daughter. Her name is Lania," Luna started, "And she is Aimee and mine's daughter."

And again, Shannon spit her coffee all over again.

"Are you gonna keep on doing that? Because my couch can't handle coffee stains," Luna said, watching Shannon in amusement.

"What the fuck Luna?" Shannon gasped out. Just the mere mention of Aimee's name caused a bit of a shudder. Aimee caused Luna and Shannon a lot of pain and vice versa, and now here was her daughter.

Shannon grew restless, "How is that even possible? Is Aimee here?"

"No," Luna shook her head, "Lania came all by herself."

"What the-... She's a small girl! Are you suggesting that a kid traveled all by herself through space?"

Luna nodded, "I can't believe it either, but she is Aimee's child too."

Shannon nodded, taking every new information in. After a while, she looked at Luna and asked in a serious voice, "How do you feel about all of these?"

Luna sighed, burying her hands on her palms before looking up at Shannon, "I honestly have no clue what to do. But I do realize that I have to take some time off at work before anything else."

"Okay," Shannon nodded, "That's why you called me? To watch her for a while?"

Shannon's a writer and mostly just stays at home, except going out to meet with her editor and publisher, so she have lots of time. The fact that she lives only just two blocks away also made her pretty convenient too babysit.

"I know you have work to do, but please Shannon? Just for half a day," Luna pleaded.

Shannon hugged the slightly smaller girl, "That's fine by me. But why didn't Aimee come with Lania? She let her own daughter wander off on her own and that to me is irresponsible parenting."

"Lania said that she ran away, and that Aimee probably doesn't even know that she's gone," worry was evident in Luna's face, "I have a feeling that Aimee's been neglecting our daughter which makes me confused and irritated at the same time. I mean, Aimee is totally the domestic type. I don't get why she won't notice that her daughter is gone. And secondly, to even let our daughter out of her sight is totally unacceptable! What is she thinking?"

Shannon let Luna ramble on. She noticed the fiery, passionate burn in Luna's eyes every time she mentions Aimee.Those eyes spoke and showed her how much Luna longs for Aimee, even when the stubborn engineer doesn't tell her.

_After all these years, Luna. It is still Aimee._

"So, it is still highly possible that Aimee's people could come and take Lania away from you?"

"Yes! But I won't let them take Lania. Over my dead body," Luna said seriously, maternal instinct kicking in rapidly.

"What if Aimee personally came and demanded you hand over your daughter?"

Luna froze.

What if indeed? What if she saw Aimee again? What would she do? Should she hug the girl... No, Aimee probably matured into a fine woman. What would she even look like?

It's been too long for her to remember every distinct features of Aimee's face. All she remembers are those emerald eyes that bore into her very soul. Although she can't clearly remember what Aimee looked like, she remembered how Aimee made her feel.

Her mind had forgotten, but her heart remembered.

"Luna?"

Luna was removed from her thoughts when Shannon called her.

"Luna, you have to go and catch some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a big day for you and Lania. I'll just sleep here on this pull out couch," Shannon patted the couch.

She nodded, feeling the stress catching up to her and making her tired.She got both their cups and put it on the sink before going back on the living room.

"Do you want blankets?" she asked.

Shannon shook her head, "I'll wake up in a few hours anyway."

Finally, Luna hugged Shannon goodnight before going upstairs to her bedroom. After she changed into her sleeping clothes, she cautiously slipped into bed being careful not to wake little Lania up. When she finally settled down, she felt Lania stir and in a moment, she found Lania cuddling closer to her.

"Mommy..." Lania whispered, half-asleep and it made Luna's heart swell.

"I'm here bijou. I'm here..."


	4. Being a Mother

Luna woke up with a startle. Her dreams had been full of a certain woman coming and taking something precious away from her. Still groggy, she wiped her eyes of any gunk and yawned. She patted the space beside her and her blood ran cold when she felt no small lump beside her.

"Lania?" she bolted out from bed and ran down the stairs. "Lania? Where are you?"

Suddenly she heard a giggle coming from the kitchen. She shuffled towards the place and found a giggling Lania interacting with a flour-covered Shannon. She heaved a sigh and smiled at the sight before her.1

"What is this mess?" She said, making her appearance.

Lania whipped around quickly and her eyes widened in glee in seeing her mommy awake. "Mommy!"

Luna grinned and gave Lania a smooch on her cheek, making the little one giggle again. "Good morning princess. And good morning to you too, Shannon."

Shannon smiled, getting another plate and putting two pancakes on it. "That one went down an hour ago and found me on your couch. She demanded breakfast." then Shannon laughed, remembering her confusion when she woke up to find the small girl staring at her curiously.

_"Who are you?" Little Lania asked._

_Shannon, a little out of it, wondered why Luna shrunk overnight and wore colored contacts. But then she remembered Luna having a daughter staying over. 1_

_She smiled at the girl,"I'm Shannon. Hi," she held out her hand, "I'm your mother's friend."_

_The little girl looked at her hand for a while, confusion on her face. And then she realized what she had done._

_"You put your hand out too and you shake it like this," Shannon carefully held the little girl's hand and shook it._

_"What is the purpose of this activity, Ms. Shannon?" Lania asked. Shannon is a little surprised at how the little girl is eloquently fluent in English._

_"Humans sometimes do this when they introduce themselves to a person or two," she explained._

_Lania nodded, finally understanding the weirdness of human greetings. "Can you please make me something to eat?" the girl asked and Shannon chuckled, seeing that the girl has Luna's irresistible pout._

_"Of course bud," she got up and stretched, "Want to join me?"_

_The little girl's eye shone brightly. She was never invited to do adult stuff back home. She nodded excitedly and held the nice lady's hand._

Luna looked at her daughter currently eating her bacon and pancakes. Lania's brown hair very much similar to her mom's is a wild mess. Luna reached out to smoothen it out.

"Lania, I have to go to work real quick. Do you mind being with Shannon for a bit?"

"Mommy, why can't I come with you to work? No offense, Shannon," Lania said, throwing a glance at Shannon before looking curiously at Luna1

"Because, baby, I won't take long. Just a few short hours. Then I'll take you out to buy your clothes. You don't have any, don't you?"

Lania looked at her traditional garb for a while before asking, "They sell Tierran clothes here?"

"No," Luna said, "but we have a lot of choices. I'll let you buy whatever you want."

Little Lania's eyes widened. "Whatever I want? That would be nice. The handmaidens always chose my garments."

"Sure darling. Finish your food, and then wait for me here okay?" Luna asked and her daughter promptly nodded before going back to eating.

"Shannon, is it really okay for you to watch her for a while?"

Shannon nodded, assuring the other woman. "I have time. And while you're gone, I can probably make Lania have a bath while I wash her clothes real quick."

"You are a life saver, Shannon," Luna exclaimed, gobbling up the last of her breakfast.

_Approximately four hours later:_

"Baby, are you sure about this?"

Lania nodded and happily skipped over to the next aisle of graphic tees while Luna stared in awe. Sure she said that Lania is free to pick whatever clothes she wanted, but all they got so far are black and/or white graphic tees and band shirts, and ripped skinny jeans.

_She must have really hated those dresses._

"Mommy! I want these too!" And then the little girl proceeded to dump a bunch of other stuff in Luna's arms. Luna was getting a bit light headed, trying desperately to sort everything out. An employee of the store took notice of her dilemma.

"Do you need some assistance, ma'am?" The young woman asked Luna.

"Yes, uh," Luna found the nearest chair and dumped all of Lania's clothes on it. "I need some help sorting these out into shirts and pants. My d-daughter is kind of excited and I still need her to try most of these on."

They went over some of the clothes when the employee suddenly commented, "Oh. Some of these clothes are for boys."

"That's fine if that is what she likes. I just want her to try it out and see if it's her size."

"You're really going to buy boys' clothing for your daughter?"

Luna paused and looked pointedly at the employee. "Yes. Yes I am. Do you have a problem with that?" She finished, her tone strong and challenging. The younger woman suddenly recoiled back, murmuring a quiet 'No ma'am'.

Meanwhile, Lania is having a field day, surrounded by clothing that she really liked. Her eyes widened when she saw a sleeveless punk rock hoodie on one of the racks and she immediately reached for it.

"Hi."

Lania turned around and saw a young human girl with luscious, wavy, dark brown locks smiling at her.

"Oh, hello," Lania replied, suddenly becoming shy.

"I just wanted give you this," and then the young girl gave her a long-stemmed rose, "-and tell you that you look very beautiful."

Lania was taken back by the action. She wordlessly received the rose and stared at the girl. The girl was taller than her, and looked really attractive for someone so young.

"My name is Kia. Kia Alyxis Harrison-Williams," the other girl said, running her hand over her hair.

Lania gulped. "M-my name is Lania."

"That's a very pretty name, Lania. Do you want to get some ice cream with me?"

"Ice cream?" Lania asked, confused as to what the word might mean.

"Ice cream. And don't worry, all I ask is to spend a few moments with you as payment." And then Kia ended her statement with a wink.

"Lania? Where are- oh here you are," Luna suddenly appeared and her eyebrows cinched together when she saw the rose her daughter was holding. "Lania, where did you get that from?"

"I gave it to her, ma'am," Kia answered, "I was asking her out for ice cream."

_Asking her out for ice cream? Is that toddler talk for a date?_

"And what did you say, darling?"

Lania shrugged, but Luna could see her daughter's cheek flushing.

"Kia! Where have you been?" A pretty woman literally ran over to them and to the little curly-haired girl. "I'm sorry. She didn't bother you, did she?" She asked Luna sheepishly.

"Uh, no. But I think she was flirting with my daughter. She gave her a rose," Luna said, gesturing at the rose Lania was holding.

At that, the little girl's mother gasped. "Kia! You're seven!" Then she turned to Luna. "I'm really sorry about this one. I'm Sandra by the way. And you have a beautiful daughter."

"It's no trouble," Luna smiled at Sandra. "I admire your daughter's guts."

"Yeah, the guts she inherited from her wayward mother. And young lady, you and I will have a long talk when we get home."

"But mom! Mommy Cass made me do it!" Kia reasoned, trying hard not to be so whiny lest she turn her crush off.

"Where is she?" Sandra asked her daughter and the little girl immediately pointed towards the fitting rooms where they all saw a flash of red hair suddenly disappear into a stall.

"Cassidy Alessandra Williams! Come here this instance."

And the door opened to reveal a tall, beautiful woman who had a sheepish, embarrassed look on her face. She slowly walked towards them, giving her daughter a dirty look while mouthing the word 'traitor'. Kia, however, just stuck her tongue out to her mother.

"Cassidy, babe, why would you tell our daughter to flirt? She's just a baby!"

"Okay, first of all, she's a monster. Secondly, Kia asked me for help and I was just trying to be a good parent by helping her."

"Mommy Cass said she's an expert at getting the girls- mmmph!" Little Kia didn't get to finish her sentence when Cassidy immediately covered her mouth with her hands.

"You know what? I'm suddenly very hungry. It was nice meeting you two," Cassidy smiled at Luna and Lania before dragging Kia away and leaving a flustered Sandra behind.

"Most days I wonder why I even married her," said Sandra, shaking her head. "She is such a child at heart."

"I can see that you really love her. Don't let her go. It's rare to find a love like what you two have..." Luna said, watching as the mother and daughter in the distance playfully started a tickle fight that ended with Cassidy hugging her daughter and kissing her head. "You have a wonderful family."

After a few more chats, Sandra bid Luna goodbye and dragged Cassidy out of the store. Chuckling, Luna proceeded to pay for her daughter's clothes which may leave a huge dent on her account. But it doesn't matter. She will give Lania anything, especially when her daughter uses those green eyes she inherited from her queen mother.

After the majority of their day was spent shopping, the mother and daughter decided it was time to go home.

"Did you enjoy today, Lania?"

"Ahuh. Can we go back and eat ice cream tomorrow, Mommy?"

Luna's heart melted immediately and she couldn't do anything but say yes to her daughter. As Luna was putting the key to the door, she noticed that it wasn't locked.

Luna's heart started to run its course. Out of instinct, she put her daughter behind her.

Slowly, she turned the knob and with trembling hands, slowly opened the door. And what she saw behind the door made her eyes water and her jaw almost drop to the floor.

"Fructuouse!"


End file.
